WIGAN Athletic will not field a weakened side when they travel to York City in the Emirates FA Cup this evening, says boss Shaun Maloney.

The Latics will be hoping to avoid a giant-killing at the LNER Community Stadium tonight (7:45pm) in front of the BBC Two cameras, in what is the Minstermen's first ever match on terrestrial TV.

Maloney himself played a vital role in Wigan's own run as they were crowned unlikely FA Cup winners in 2013, with Ben Watson converting his corner to seal a famous 1-0 victory over Manchester City.

But despite two tiers in the footballing pyramid and 49 places separating Wigan from the Minstermen, Maloney refuses to field a weakened side this evening.

"I'll go as strong as I can at York," he confirmed to Wigan Today.

"We've taken the FA Cup, and all the other competitions, very seriously throughout. We haven't played a lot of kids in any of the games.

"We couldn't really, because of the quality of teams we were coming up against.

"I respect the competition, I respect York, and it's a really big game for us, we will be going full strength.

"I change the team sometimes depending on how I see a game, and which players I think are suited best.

"But there will be no thought whatsoever of anything apart from winning this game in terms of team selection.

"It's the FA Cup and these types of games are what make the FA Cup an exciting competition."


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The Latics boss expects York to be fired up from the outset as they look to seal a place in the Third Round - in which Premier League and Sky Bet Championship sides enter the competition - and is taking nothing for granted despite entering the tie as favourites.

"We're two divisions above them so I imagine they'll be looking at it like that," he continued. "But they're a good enough team so they don't have to use too much in terms of incentives.

"And by kick-off it certainly won't feel like there's two leagues between us, it will be a fight right from the very start.

"In my experience of these games, you have to earn the right to play from the first whistle.

"I won't be taking anything for granted, and I'll be telling my players I'll be expecting a certain mentality from them.

"If we do that, we'll give ourselves a chance. If we don't, as has happened this season, we will get hurt."

City have sold in excess of 5,500 tickets to home fans for tonight's clash, and with Wigan expected to bring in the region of 1,200 away supporters, the LNER Community Stadium is expected to play host to a record Cup attendance.

Maloney hopes that both sets of players can embrace such an atmosphere, and is delighted to have seen the tie selected for broadcast to millions on BBC Two.

"The atmosphere will be great, and it'll be great for both sides to be live on the BBC," he enthused.

"Hopefully from our point of view we perform well and we do ourselves justice.

"It's a brilliant game, and I'm really pleased it was chosen for live coverage for the BBC. It adds to the occasion for both sets of players and both sets of fans."